El Monte, Calif. (AP) — A man’s wife, who killed two Southern California police officers in a shootout on Tuesday, told television stations that her husband had previously attacked her and said she had a gun in the suburbs of Los Angeles. I warned the police. Los Angeles motel.
The shooter identified as Justin William Flores was shot dead on the scene. His wife told KCBS-TV that he attacked her two days ago and she moved to a motel to escape him, but he chased her.
“I sincerely apologize. I am deeply sorry for saving me. I’m sorry. I’m very sorry,” Diana Flores told the TV station in tears. “They didn’t deserve it, or their family. They didn’t really. They were trying to help me and I said,” Don’t go in. He didn’t go in before they entered the room. I have a gun. “
Officer — Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, identified on Wednesday, were both killed while investigating the possibility of being stabbed at an El Monte motel.
Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that the flag of the State Capitol will be half-masted in honor of them.
Paredes and Santana grew up and worked in the city of El Monte, on the outskirts of the 107,000 people of the San Gabriel Valley, one for more than 20 years and the other for just a few months. They were only the third and fourth officers to die on duty in the history of El Monte police. Alerts are scheduled for Saturday.
Court records show that Flores was on probation on suspicion of a gun at the time of the shooting that occurred the day after the probation officer requested to return to court later in the month.
The Coroner’s Office has not yet released the suspect’s name, but the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has identified Flores in the Associated Press.
Wednesday mourners left bouquets, garlands and candles outside the El Monte police station to honor the fallen officer.
“Corporal Paredes and Officer Santana have made the ultimate sacrifice,” the city of Elmonte wrote in a news release. “While performing a noble profession, we serve the communities they love.”
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Flores, 35, served two stints in state prison for car theft and robbery and was recently released in 2012.
In March 2020, Flores was arrested and charged with a felony in possession of firearms and drugs for personal use. He pleaded guilty to a felony in possession of a firearm last year. He may have been returned to jail for three years on felony charges.
Instead, he was sentenced to two years of probation and 20 days in prison, and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon faced his progressive policy recall efforts and criticized Flores’ judicial transaction. Facing
“The ruling he received in the firearms case was consistent with the resolution of this type of crime, given his criminal record and the nature of the crime,” DA’s office said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Flores had no recorded history of violence when the court ruled him.”
The court records obtained by AP do not specify why Flores’ probation officer requested that he return to court on Monday. According to records, the hearing was scheduled for June 27th.
The county’s probation department declined to comment, and Flores’ lawyer in the case did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. However, the Los Angeles Times reported that Flores violated his probation and prompted him to return to court.
Little details have been revealed about what happened during the violence on Tuesday. At around 4:45 pm on Tuesday, police officers went to Siesta Inn in El Monte, east of Los Angeles, to perform a welfare check that could have been stabbed by a woman.
Captain Andrew Meyer, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s murder case, said on Tuesday that police officers “confronted the suspect.”
According to Meyer, a shootout broke out in the motel’s room, after which the shooters fled to the parking lot, where more shootouts took place.
Mr Meyer said he did not know if the police were shot inside or outside the motel. They died in the hospital. A gun was found on the scene.
According to Meyer, the investigator was interviewing a hotel woman who believed she was the suspect’s girlfriend. Diana Flores, who said she was the suspect’s wife and had a tattoo on her chest, must have responded to the “wrong call” because she had not been stabbed on Tuesday. I told KCBS.
“I was stabbed the day before,” she told the television station.
According to a news release, 42-year-old Paredes started as a cadet before becoming a full-time officer in 2000. He has survived by his wife, daughter and his son.
Santana, 31, was in the Elmonte army for less than a year when she was killed. He had previously served as an adjutant to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office for three years, the news release said.
This tragic loss is close to our home, “Sheriff San Bernardino wrote on Twitter. “He was a great partner and was loved by everyone who knew him.”
Santana also worked for six years as a part-time public works employee in El Monte before turning to law enforcement. He survives by his wife, daughter and twin sons.
On Tuesday, Elmonte Interim Police Chief Ben Laurie summoned a police hero.
“These two men were loved,” Raleigh said. “They were good people. They made the ultimate sacrifice and served the community in an attempt to help someone.”
“They were killed by cowards, we are sad, and it hurts,” he said.
Elmonte Mayor Jessica Ancona said police officers died “while trying to keep their families safe.”
The killing was the day after a California Highway Patrol police officer was shot dead and seriously injured during a traffic outage in the Studio City area of ​​Los Angeles.
Officials say the 27-year-old officer is expected to recover. Bloodhound helped police track down a suspect who surrendered to police at a homeless camp in the San Fernando Valley on Tuesday.
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Dazio reported from Los Angeles. News researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York City.